Step Into Destiny
by ONYXindustries
Summary: Somewhere in ancient Japan a prestegious family has lost it all.What does it take to send their "innocent" daughter off the edge? And will her descendant meet the same fate? Two Chapters.
1. When Sakura Blossoms Fade

Princess Bride

_The sun kissed the mountain peaks as it rose early that morning. The young girl, dressed in a silky white elaborate kimono with a scarlet sash and traditional jewels in her hair, stood under a sakura blossom tree at her parent's graves, awaiting her fiancé's arrival._

"_Mother…Father…Is this what I must do to save our prestigious clan?" She asked, bowing respectfully. "Can this fate not lie in someone else's hands?"_

_Her blue eyes stung with the pain of tears. She brushed her blond hair out of her face and turned towards the rising sun, the breeze tossing sakura petals around her feet up into the air._

"_Sister." A voice woke her from her solemn trance._

"_Brother, is he here?" She couldn't hold back her disappointment; having to marry someone she didn't love._

"_I'm afraid so. I'll miss you Inita onee-chan."_

"_I'll miss you to Deidara onii-sama." She kissed his cheek and walked towards her carriage so daintily, he thought that if she barely stumbled she would break._

_She had always been the weakest in the family, getting injured by the slightest things, becoming ill easily and so quick to cry. But now as he watched her leave she seemed so strong, bearing the full burden of their parent's death and all the leadership responsibilities; No longer a frightened girl but a confident young lady._

_His heart ached to see the sister he had cared for from birth stepping gracefully into the vehicle towards her latest marriage proposal. Her beauty had attracted men from the furthest reaches of the land. And he was no exception. He loved her with a deep passion which one should not feel for one's own sister. Hiding his pain as best he could he walked over to her, and placed a sakura blossom into her hair. _

"_If this is your last time back here, I'm sure okaa-san would want you to have this to remember us by."_

"_I'll treasure it, since my onii-san gave it to me." She smiled, sending his thoughts into a tailspin. "Goodbye…"_

_**When the carriage at last reached the Hyuga household~**_

"_Miss Hashi has arrived, Master."_

"_See her in." Neji ordered._

"_As you wish." The servant bowed and ran towards the carriage._

_Assisted by the driver she stepped down into the yard surrounded by a garden of roses._

"_Is it to your liking, Miss Hashi?"_

_She nodded somberly, secretly longing for the lingering scent of sakura blossoms to last longer. As she stood silently by the rose garden, two young men approached her, each leading a horse._

"_Hey, Uchiha. Is that our host's new trophy wife?"_

"_Hmm…She's far too plain, eh Katsune?"_

_Her eyes turned towards them. "Oh, horses." She murmured, delight written over her face, "Aren't they pretty?" She walked towards them._

"_Miss Hashi…Don't…"_

_Hashi. The word stunned the two heirs as she approached. This then, was the beauty after which they had sought, only to have lost out to an unexpected rival. Her identity revealed, they could only watch in awe as she stopped before them._

"_May I touch his mane?" she asked._

"_Milady," Jenei held her hand before she could trail her fingers through the animal's hair. "I heard of your health issues. Perhaps this is not a wise thing to do."_

"…_Perhaps…" she at last agreed, "Thank you anyway for at least allowing me to see them. I wish you lives full of love." At this the servants quickly lead her away._

"_I have fallen for her all over again in the span of a few seconds." Jenei Katsune murmured._

"_As have I." Sasuke replied, "But as good as her intentions were in wishing us love, I'm afraid she has cursed us to love her forever."_

_**Later, inside~**_

"_Are you ready, Inita?" Neji took her hand and kissed her fingertips. "Tonight we join as one."_

"_I can't…" She bowed, "If I could have one night to prepare, then I could give my heart to you."_

"_As you wish, my love." He smiled and showed her to her room._

_Once the door shut, she filled a vase with water and placed the sakura blossom into it. She pushed open the window and waved one of her elaborate fans back and forth gently, pondering her situation. She definitely didn't want to marry this Hyuga…And she didn't want to stay in a place with flowers that smelled like death. She snapped her fan shut with a sound similar to the re-sheathing of a sword._

"_I will not allow my clan to be ashamed of me. I'll return home, okaa-san. I'll come back…" Tears trickled down her cheeks. "Even if I must surrender my weakness."_

_**At midnight~**_

_Barefoot, she stalked through the vast halls, prepared for the slightest mishap._

"_Miss Hashi?" a guard made the fatal mistake of calling her name. Her fan spun towards him, disembodying his head and lodging itself in the wooden wall. Freeing it, she examined its sharp metal tips. _

_Upon discovering their comrade dead, the others assumed the worst and followed the blooded footprints until they found her._

"_Miss Hashi, it's unsafe to be out at this time. There is an assassin out." Once again, they were fooled by her innocent appearance._

"_Really?" she pulled a katana from her kimono and with lightning speed, slashed them all, leaving them for dead. Up the stairs she fled, her beautiful dress spattered with blood. Entering a room upon pure instinct she spotted her fiancé's cousin, who opened her mouth to scream._

_Swish. In an instant, Hinata lay dead at her feet, the needle-like decoration from her hair embedded in her victim's throat._

_At last she reached her 'husband's' room. He was still asleep, even through the last moments of his life when she stabbed him through his chest. "Consider that my 'love', Hyuga." She smirked, sliding down the tiled roof and landing in the yard._

_The moonlight revealed the tell-tale bloodstains on her as she walked towards the stables, and rode a black horse all the way home._

_Shocked to see their princess in such a hurry to leave, Sasuke and Jenei investigated the house. Their discovery led them to a grim but sadly wrong conclusion. Someone was after her…_

_**At the Hashi residence~**_

"_Brother…Brother!" she ran inside, eyes wide with terror, "Save me, please. They killed him…Him and almost everyone else in the house."_

_Deidara hugged her to him, relieved that she had returned safely. "I'm glad you're ok, nee-chan…Go take a bath, ok? I'll make sure you're safe."_

"_Onii-sama…" she started to cry, "Thank you."_

"_I love you, Inita." He thought, as he watched her walking towards the bath, "More than I should…Why are these feelings so wrong?"_

_**In the bath~**_

_Inita pondered the events that led her to execute a mass murder without so much as a second thought. She closed her eyes and drifted back to that part of her past she wanted to forget; back to the source of her soul's scars._

_**Fire crackled all around her. The ashes of their once proud home flew into the air temporarily blinding her.**_

"_**Mother? Mother!" her piteous cries resounded, but no one came to her aid. She cried, alone and scared to die.**_

"_**Onee-chan…Thank God, you're alright!" Deidara hugged his nine year old sister, "Let's go."**_

"_**No! Not without mom or dad." She said stubbornly.**_

_**His eyes dulled, "They can't come with us, nee-chan." He looked solemn.**_

"_**Okaa-san?" She ran outside, tears soaking her dress, "Okaa-san!"**_

_**Her mother stared directly into her eyes, petrifying her, "Go, Inita! Live on for me and never forget who did this to us…Never forget…Hyuga…"**_

_**At that moment, her brother ran in and pulled her away, running as though his very soul depended on it. It was in vain, however since Inita witnessed her mother's beheading and they were soon captured by the rival clan.**_

"_**Kill them." The clan leader said.**_

"_**Mama…I miss mama, onii-sama." Inita wailed.**_

"_**Father…" A young girl pulled her father's sleeve. "Spare them, please. We have done enough."**_

"_**Hinata…"**_

"_**Yes uncle, let them be. I might even consider the girl as a marriage candidate."**_

"_**Fine…We will leave them be. We've conquered their clan anyway."**_

"_**I will never marry a Hyuga!" she yelled after them, "I'll die or kill you all first!"**_

_**They only laughed at her.**_

"_**I'll show them." She decided, "I'll wipe them off the face of the earth…"**_

_Smiling a little she stood, now waist high in the water, she reveled in her success. She had done what her mother wanted…At least, what she thought her mother wanted. Though…why did she feel so empty? Why this sudden chill of fear?_

"_I'm so lonely, okaa-san. Please…please help me." She clutched a lock of her hair and watched as it changed color with her tears. "Will I ever really know what it is to love?"_

_**The next day~**_

_Inita was under the sakura blossom tree, trying to coax a kitten into her arms. "Come on. I won't hurt you."_

"_Nee-chan! Hurry!" He looked extremely worried._

"_Why? It's only a kitten." She stared blankly at him._

_Jenei and Sasuke ran towards her. _

"_It's not the kitten." Jenei insisted, "But the girl who was originally Neji's fiancée is after your life."_

"_Why?"_

"_She was jealous of you to begin with and she also has this wild idea that you were the one that killed him." Sasuke replied._

"_Why would I… She must think I was serious about revenge." Inita picked up the cat and turned towards the house. "I suppose I should hide…"_

"_Onee-chan, hurry."_

_The clatter of hooves pounding the stones only minutes away filled her companions with anxiety. Jenei scooped her up and carried her quickly towards the house._

_The other two locked every opening to the house._

"_Send her out! Send out the one they call Hashi Inita!" the voice of Ten Ten penetrated the walls._

"_I won't. She's my only sister."_

"_It doesn't matter! I want her dead!"_

_Inita slipped away from her protectors and into the adjoining stables. She couldn't bear to see them killed for her mistakes. Kissing the kitten on the nose she tied a note around its neck and sent it back to the others. She mounted the steed and the full burden of her actions hit her. She had wiped out an entire clan and at the cost of her soul. As she headed for the stable door, she heard:_

"_I'm just glad he's still alive. Send her out before we burn this place to the ground."_

"_If you want me, try to catch me!" she yelled, relieved that she hadn't succeeded in killing them all._

"_Inita!" Deidara exited the house in time to see her ride off followed by several assassins._

"_She's either really smart, or extremely suicidal." Sasuke murmured, as they mounted their steeds to follow them._

_**A few minutes away~**_

_Her heart pounded wildly. Desperation flashed through her mind and few options made sense. _

_Her pursuers were closing in on her._

"_Innocent…I'm supposed to be innocent and weak." She looked back. With her allies nowhere in sight, she at last decided to fight off the nearest killers and make a break for a nearby ridge. After all, everyone had to die sometime._

_Her brother and the two heirs rounded the corner, only to see her standing on the running horse's back as though it was flat, unmovable ground. Even more surprising, the fans she threw seemed amazingly accurate…and deadly._

"_Nee-chan?" His heart skipped a beat. Was this his docile sister's true nature? As impossible as it was to believe, her serious stare and fluid, swift attacks were definitely not of the girl he knew; the girl he loved beyond his own life. Even so, he still adored her, perhaps even more so now, since her beauty and character still shone through her blood stained exterior. And he could tell his companions were of the same opinion._

_Inita gazed behind her for a moment then leapt off her horse, sliding down the incline from the cliff. Gathering her kimono about her she ran for all she was worth towards the edge._

"_Inita!"_

"_Is she stupid?" Ten Ten asked._

_It was far too late. Her ears deafened by the wind, she began her plummet to the ocean below._

"_Forgive me, onii-sama. I really am sorry for all I've done." She looked upwards, barely hearing his reply before she connected with the placid surface of the water:_

"_I'll forgive you, Inita… I love you."_

"_I guess…I love you too…" she thought, sinking deeper towards her watery grave, "I love you all…"_

_Deidara watched the surface silently, hoping that maybe she would survive but only the sakura blossoms from the tree near the cliff served as any reminder of her there. He turned away. It was now his responsibility to continue their clan…_


	2. The New Generation

That morning, 16 year old Inita Hashi awoke in her dimly lit apartment in downtown Konoha, only to realize that she was late for school.

"No. Not again." She jumped out of bed and hurriedly prepared for the day. Running out of her apartment, she was greeted by Deidara, a prefect at her school and the son of her land lord.

"Late again? Honestly, you lose track of time easily." He laughed casually, strolling next to her.

"I had a weird dream. It was about that legend where that girl jumped off of the cliff near our school. It was so real it was scary…" she murmured, tying her hair ribbon carefully as they reached the sidewalk.

"I wouldn't worry about it…Hey; my parents want to know if you're lonely in there." He stared at her, a little worried.

"Isn't it you who wants to know?" she asked.

"Beat me in a race to school and I'll tell you." He smiled, "Ok?"

"No fair. I can't run that fast with this skirt on and you know it."

"Get a shorter one then." He said tugging at the already above knee skirt.

"No way." She hit him with her bag, "You're such a pervert."

"But you like me that way don't you? Admit it."

"…" she paused to watch a beautiful white horse go by. "It's so pretty."

"Hey, hurry up. If you beat me to the school gate, I'll buy you lunch." He barely saw her outline as she flashed past him, arriving at the school in record time.

She pushed her loose fringe out of her eyes, only to connect stares with Sasuke, who was glaring disapprovingly at her.

"Geez, what's his problem?" she wondered, spotting Jenei next to him.

He waved to her.

"Good morning!"She waved back.

"No way." Deidara laughed strolling in just then. "I thought you said you couldn't run in that skirt."

"Whatever. Where's my money?"

"I said I'd buy lunch for you. I never said I'd give you money for lunch." He smiled, "just let me know what you want when lunchtime comes…There is one condition though."

"What? It's not something weird is it?"

"Nah. Just hang out with me at lunch, that's all."

"Ok…See you then, I guess." She raced away to her classroom.

**During Lunch~**

Inita sat next to her friend and yawned. "I'm so tired. What can I get for lunch?"

"Anything you want."

"Well, how much money do you have? I don't want you to spend it all on me."

"…Fine. What do you want within a $90 limit?"

"Ninety?" she sputtered. "That much?"

"Is that a lot? …Well, whatever. The next time I do something for you, promise me you'll get a shorter skirt; one that barely withstands the breeze." He could hardly picture her wearing one. It just wasn't her personality.

"Are you insane? I won't promise you anything like that!" She frowned.

He laughed, "You'd look strange in it anyway. I just wanted to see your face when you reacted to it." He handed her the money. "Go buy what you want."

"Thanks." She smiled, running towards the café across the street which was owed by the Katsunes.

The bell above the door rang as she entered alerting Jenei Katsune's 19 year old brother, who was managing the café for the morning, to her presence.

"Morning, Inita. Why aren't you at school? That's where all the good little girls belong…Unless you're not so good." Kiyo shot her a flirtatious grin.

She only stared back blankly, unsure of what he meant. "I just want lunch."

He sighed. How could she be so immune to his charms? "What do you want? Sushi? Ramen?"

"Um…. Shrimp Okonomiyaki."

"Coming right up." He didn't wait for his employees to respond, and personally returned with her order, fully seasoned and decorated.

"Yeay!" she squealed, excitedly hungry.

"You know, Inita, the Summer Solstice Festival is coming up….Are you going?" he asked.

"I guess. I haven't had anyone ask me yet."

"Oh… Wanna go with m…?"

"Inita!" Deidara burst in, "It's crazy. Jenei and Sasuke are fighting."

"Seriously? I thought they were best buds."

"Even weirder, their fight is over_ you_."

"No way!"

She rushed out, only to return second later and yell, "Keep my food warm, ok?"

"No worries." Kiyo smiled.

"Whatev…" And she was gone.

Deidara glared at his companion. "Kiyo…Long time no see."

"Yeah. Still quite the playboy I've noticed." His bright smile turned to and icy frown.

"How long ago was that? The last ice age?"

"Before you got used to having to take care of that poor orphan who just ran outside."

"That's a lie. I've always treated her like a sister."

"And then some."

"…What do you want with her anyway, huh?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Don't you know? My brother came home talking about her and I got curious. I became interested in her because she was cute and funny…But _damn_ she's dense."

"Take that back!" Deidara growled.

"So has she realised that any of us like her? No. Not you, not me, not Jenei…and if that Uchiha kid likes her, she'll never notice it since he's so anti-social." Kiyo pointed out.

"It doesn't matter if she realizes or not. I don't want to give her more worries that she already has."

"Then give up on her already. That's half her worries gone." His rival smirked.

"You're so…"

Inita ran back in.

"Did you see them?" Deidara asked.

"No…I was across the street on the sidewalk arguing in my head about whether or not to come back for the food…"

"I'll buy you something else later, k?" Deidara murmured, patting her head.

"Awesome." She beamed. "Let's go watch the fight now…Bye Kiyo."

"Later."

_**In the school yard~**_

"Sasuke, she is not!" Jenei raged, held back by some previous bystanders, "I can't believe you could say that about Inita." A trail of blood flowed from a gash on his forehead.

"She's a b***h. Accept it." His ex-friend growled, restrained by his brother and another prefect. "Ever since she showed up, our friendship has taken a death spiral." He snarled, making the bruise on his cheek more obvious.

"It's not fair to judge her like that. If anything, it's my fault."

"Fine. It's your fault then. Just give her up."

"What's going on?" She asked, her innocent eyes gazing from one to the other.

"So unfair." One girl sighed.  
>"She's too popular."<br>"We can never win."

"Fighting over me? How ridiculous."

"Inita-chan…" Jenei seemed at a loss. Was she telling him to give up?

"Everyone knows the position of brother is already filled." She indicated to Deidara.

Everyone shot her blank stares.

"Is she crazy?"  
>"I think she's just oblivious to what's going on."<p>

Inita stared at them. "What?"

"You're insane right?" Sasuke asked.

"No…" she admitted, weakly. "I…I just didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me, so I acted as though I didn't notice your feelings. It was wrong, I know and you ended up getting hurt anyway."

She pulled a bandage from her pocket and gave it to the Katsune heir.

"Thanks…" He smiled a little, hesitating as to whether or not he should kiss her.

"You're welcome." She replied, waving goodbye and returning to her 'brother.' "Onii-san…What do I eat now?"

He laughed as they walked away. "I don't know. You're the one who's hungry."

"I'm starving." She emphasized her need for food.

"Stop complaining." He shot her a steely gaze, warning her.

"Or what?" Inita pouted, defiant.

Everyone stopped to stare at them. Would the 'siblings' have their first ever fight today?

He held her face in his palm, staring sternly at her.

She shivered under his serious gaze. This look was new…He was usually so carefree and kind that she had never seen his solemn side.

His eyes narrowed, sending shivers down her spine. A growl escaped his throat with somewhat indescribable qualities.

"Don't hurt me." She begged inwardly.

He growled again, in a possessive way. In an instant his lips connected with hers, stealing her first kiss.

"Deidara?" She gazed at him in disbelief, a blush lingering on her face.

He leaned closer, trapping her against a wall. "Hey nee-chan…" he whispered quietly into her ear, "Is it ok if you become my toy?" His tongue trailed over her earlobe.

"Stop it…Everyone's watching." Her face grew redder by the second.

"Let them. I don't care." He gravitated towards her neck.

"You're a prefect. You shouldn't be doing this."

He exhaled gently over the reddish-pink mark on her skin. "I am no longer your brother, ok?"

"I-if you want to talk about it, how about on the way home this evening?" She was practically feverish from his kisses and was so close to melting in his arms that he could feel it.

"I don't want to talk about it." He murmured, annoyed. "I want you…So; I'm not going to play the part of the older sibling anymore, ok?"

"…ok…" she murmured meekly.

"Great." He turned to the others who were watching, but singled out the guys he knew liked her, "Good luck." And he walked to his class, an arrogant smirk lingering.

She sighed. He had really changed in those few minutes. And what did he mean by that; 'I want you?'

"Inita…" Jenei strolled over to her. "Are you ok?"

"Yea…" she shook off the blush, "I'm fine. Sorry if I worried you."

"It…It's ok. I'm just glad you're alright." He took her hand, "Inita…"

"Oh…Your cut. Let's go to the nurse's office."

"It's ok. I'm fine…I just have one request…"

"Ok…"

"Come with me…" he hid the blush, "to the Solstice Festival."

"Sure!"

* * *

><p>"You seem really happy." Deidara commented as they walked home.<p>

"Yeah. I'm going to the Solstice festival with Jenei."

"Can I come with you?" He smirked, knowing she still thought of him as a brother.

"Why not. It'll be fun." She smiled.

* * *

><p>As Inita ran towards the fountain in the middle of the festival the guys trailed behind her. Besides Jenei and Deidara, Sasuke and Kiyo happened to invite themselves along.<p>

"It's so pretty!" she whirled around, her lavender kimono faintly glowing in the sunlight.

Gazing into the water, an image that definitely wasn't her reflection flashed before her eyes. It paused and stared at her, vanishing moments later.

"_Innocent…_" the word rang out in her ears.

"Did you say something?" she asked Deidara.

"No…What did you hear?"

"I thought…Never mind, I'm sure it's nothing…"

Jenei, annoyed by the presence of the other guys, at last turned to them, "Ok. Deidara came along to mess up our date, Kiyo came because he was curious…Sasuke, why the hell are you here?"

"I need to have a reason now?"

Inita wandered off amid their argument. Suddenly, she realized she was lost.

"Guys? Deidara? Jenei?" No answer.

The crowd seemed to be thick enough to crush her. Breaking free, she discovered some steps in a hillside. Curious, she descended them.

Suddenly, the figure from the fountain flashed past her, whispering, "Stay away…"

She shivered as she reached the bottom step. The air had suddenly become cold. She looked around; a Sakura blossom tree at the edge of a cliff…Why was that so familiar?

Automatically, a scene played over in her mind. The girl…The cliff….The tree… Inita cautiously crept closer, staring over the edge. This was where the girl in the legend died…

As if that wasn't creepy enough, it was beginning to get dark and misty. And was it her imagination, or was the water starting to ripple unusually?

Crack! A sudden noise. She looked around. It was just the branch on the tree…

"Inita? Inita! Where are you?"

"Jenei! I'm down he…"

CRACK!

A low rumbling echoed through the air. It felt as though an earthquake had hit….At least to Inita. Her eyes focused at last downwards to the area where the cliff was quickly breaking apart.

Reaching out feebly, she only had time to cry, "Help meeee!"

"Inita!"

"KYA!"

Her frantic scream was useless. The only plummeted ever faster towards the sea.

"No!" Jenei was petrified. Was she going to die?

The surface exploded into tiny beads of liquid, suspended for mere seconds before they covered her body and surrounded her. Her kimono only tangled around her and weighed her down as she fought to reach the surface for air. Water flooded her ears and drifted into her nose. Her mind numbed, only able to process one sentence; "I don't want to die."

As she began to lose consciousness, the figure appeared to her once more. Her eyes couldn't focus for to long…The water in her lungs was far too distracting. They closed slowly.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" The same voice that had murmured 'innocent'. "It's too late…"

* * *

><p>Her companions stared in disbelief at the ocean below. Why her? What had she ever done?<p>

"Somebody, call the police or something…"

"Wait…" Sasuke noticed something unusual…A glow emitting from below the surface…

An faint ripple here and there became concentrated to one point. Traversing the last barrier layer of water, they noted the silhouette of a girl floating higher and higher….floating on air.

As it came to rest at their feet and the blinding glow faded, they realized it was Inita's lifeless body. But how…?

A faint aura took the form of a girl in a tattered, bloody kimono. She touched Inita's forehead and turned away. Her skin was pale and her eyes were dim. Her bare feet left watery tracks back to the edge of the cliff.

"You… You're that girl from the legend."

She smiled a little, "Please take good care of her."

At this the water shot up and twirled around her, entangling her in its ribbons and dragging her back to her undersea tomb.

A cough. Water spurted from Inita's mouth. She rolled over and hacked up the rest, clearing her lungs. She took deep, gasping breaths of air; sweet, sweet air. The salt stung her eyes as she tried to focus on her surroundings.

"Is this…Heaven?"

"Inita!" Jenei, Deidara and the other two now surrounded her.

"I'm…Alive?" she looked at her hands and then pinched herself. "I am…"

Deidara lifted her, cradling her in his arms. "Let's go home." He smiled.

"Yes…"

"I'm coming too." Jenei declared.

"I'll get dinner ready." Kiyo offered.

"…Dibs on taking of her kimono." Sasuke at last said.

"…You little pervert."

Their argument escalated as they made their way through the crowd. One thing was for sure though. Everyone was glad Inita was still alive.


End file.
